1 asked was, * qliiet'retreat, that 1 might, have rent, ami t«u er
2 myself. The people, seeing the difficulty with which I dragged
3 myself along, vailed in a Hakim (a Persian physician), who lived
4 in their house, and he offered me his assistance. I thanked him
5 very heartily, and requested some leeches. “ We have not any,
6 was his reply; upon which, as my only resource, I applied a
7 blister; after which 1 became senseless, and remained in that
8 state until the evening of tin following day. On my revival,
9 my tongue was still so parched, that. I was unable even to ask
10 for water to moisten it, and I only obtained it by making signs.
11 My feet wen excessively cold, anti besides the ahove-mmitiemd
12 internal pains, I also felt the effects of the blister, although it
13 • had risen but very slightly. J examined my pulse, but the
14 pulsation was impeleeptible, from which 1 concluded that my
15 last moments were near at hand. My servant told me that,
16 during my stupor, I had had some discharges of blood; 1
17 ordered him to fetch the Milan (scribe) of the establishment,
18 that he might make my will; and 1 e came with Ids paper and
19 knlemdan (writing stand), and placed himself at a respectable
20 distane;, the hakim having told turn that my disease was dan¬
21 gerous and contagious. I felt, so weak and debilitated, that I was
22 scarcely able to sign my name. I told my servant that £ hud
23 but little hopes of living over the night, and desired him, should
24 it lie the will of God that I must die on the banks of the Indus
25 to bury me and convey my effects to Lahore, anti deliver them,
26 with my papers, to the Generals, Court and Avitabile, to whom
27 there was a letter of introduction, sent by Mr. Swoboda, i’or the
28 services he himself had rendered me, I gave him a liberal remu¬
29 neration, that I might secure his executing my wishes, upon which
30 he wept and promised obedience. In this deplorable stale, con¬
31 sidering myself at. death’s door, like many other medical men, 1
32 began tci think that, in spite of the numerous remedies, there was
33 no chance of my recovering from the effects of the poison I had
34 taken, and that the medical art was hut a fallacious one. I
35 began to recollect that I had always avoided bleeding in my ow n
36 case, so as, a lust resource, in spite of my previous loss of blood,
37 I resolved upon trying the experiment, it being 'considered l>v